#Theatre

It's been almost 20 years since Fat Friends burst onto our TV screens, but its back in the form of an entertaining touring musical making its Scottish debut at the Playhouse this week.

The TV show has been adapted for stage by Kay Mellor, who wrote and directed the TV series, with original music by Nick (son of Andrew) Lloyd Webber. Set in Leeds, the story follows the much-loved characters Kelly and Kevin during the lead-up to their wedding.

Jodie Prenger and Elaine C Smith. Pic: Helen Maybanks.jpg

After buying her dream wedding dress two sizes too small, Kelly is on a mission to lose weight with the help of her yoyo dieting mum Betty, chip shop owner dad Fergus and Super Slimmers boss Julie Fleshman – who slips her some diet pills to help her along.

Jodie Prenger leads the all-star cast as the loud and loveable Kelly. Jodie is a complete natural on stage and gives a fantastic performance full of warmth, humour and superb singing. Her adorable yet slightly idiotic husband Kevin is played by Joel Montague, who puts in a strong performance.

Her mum, Betty, is played by everyone's favourite Scottish actress Elaine C Smith with Coronation Street's Kevin Kennedy as her dad Fergus. Both put in solid performances, but given the breadth of Elaine's comedic experience, you can't help but wish she was had been given funnier lines to deliver.

There are also roles for Atomic Kitten's Natasha Hamilton as super diva and slimming guru Julie. While her role is small, she proves she can make the transition from pop star to musical star seamlessly. Emmerdale and Wicked star Natalie Anderson shines as bridal shop owner and slimming group leader Lauren who is hopelessly in love with the adorable vicar Paul played by Jonathan Halliwell.

hilarious and witty

Rachael Wooding may not have as recognisable a name as others in the cast, but her hilarious and witty performance as Kelly's sister Joanne makes her a favourite among the audience as she bickers with her sister, a situation anyone with a sibling will be familiar with.

Natalie Anderson and Jonathan Halliwell. Pic: Helen Maybanks

One thing that lets the show down is the music. The songs are nice, but most are instantly forgettable. In the first act, we're treated to songs about fish and chips and corsets, and while they might be amusing at the time, they hardly make you want to rush out and buy the soundtrack.

However, in amongst the mediocre, there are two stand out moments. Anderson and Halliwell give a heart-warming performance of Mr. Someone, the duet between Lauren and Paul; and I’d Do Anything winner Jodie Prenger shows off her stunning vocal range when she closes the first act with Beautiful.

The set design by Bretta Gerecke of row of shops (mostly takeaways and cake shops) is clever and colourful. They open up like doll’s houses to expand the interiors of the buildings. She also uses the upper windows of the buildings for the ensemble to appear when joining in some of the musical numbers.

Fat Friends The Musical might not be the kind of show you see over and over again, but if you're looking for a fun, feel-good night out then you can't go too far wrong with what is an enjoyable production.

Open call for EMT’s EdFringe showcase

Edinburgh Music Theatre has put out an open call for auditions for its two Edinburgh Fringe 2018 showcases, running in the evenings Wednesday 8 to Saturday 10 August.

This is an open call, but the company is particularly interested to hear from male vocalists so as to balance the cast.

EMT is currently in rehearsal for its main stage production of Guys and Dolls, running at the Edinburgh King’s from Wednesday 2 to Saturday 5 May. Auditions will be consequently be held on Sunday 12 and Tuesday 14 May.

This year’s EdFringe showcase performances will be Mouse Music, a musical showcase from the Disney TV series House of Mouse, and Anthems – From West End to Broadway, which will be a selection of musical favourites.

Matthew Brown is returning as Music Director for the company. Joining EMT for the first time are Morgan Scott and Christie Gowans as Choreography/Director team. Both are highly experienced choreographers with Scott taking the lead on the design of routine arrangements and Gowans focusing on the Direction required for each number.

Performances will take place at St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, George Street, Edinburgh – EMT's Fringe home in recent years. The production will run Wednesday 8 to Saturday 11 August 2018 inclusive, at 7.10pm and 8.40 pm each evening.

passion and talent

EMT is an amateur musical company "for adults with a passion and talent for musical theatre". Recent productions have included Fiddler on The Roof (2017),The Producers (2016) and Chess (2015) as well as the various performances in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Reviews of previous EMT productions are here:Tag Edinburgh Music Theatre.

Those interested in auditioning will be asked to sing one musical number. This can either be of their choosing or selected from the audition pack. If electing to sing their own preference of song, auditionees are required to bring the relevant sheet music to the audition.

All those auditioning are required to familiarise themselves with the audition pack: here. There is also a link on EMT’s Facebook page @edinburghmusictheatre.

Interested applicants should note that at this time no other dates have been planned for auditions and therefore they should make all reasonable attempts to attend these scheduled times.

EMT add: “All interested auditionees are encouraged to come and see EMT in their forthcoming production of Guys and Dolls in the Kings Theatre, 2-5 May 2018 to gain further insight into EMT as a company.”